It’s Women’s History Month, so I want to take a moment to honor some of the fierce women who made me who I am.
From my great-grandmother, mother and many before them, I’ve been blessed to come from generations of resilient and fierce Pueblo women.
The fierce women who raised me – plus me in my Garth Brooks tee!
My mother, Mary Toya, was born and raised in a boxcar, where the Laguna people created a community far from their home. She proudly served in the U.S. Navy, raised four kids as a military wife, and devoted 25 years to Indian education at the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Mom served in the Navy, and played the snare drum in the Santa Fe Indian Band.
Standing on the shoulders of women who came before me, I summoned the courage to run for office. When I became one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, I swore to leave the ladder down behind me so girls of color know they can be anything they want to be.
But here’s what I’m reminded of this Women’s History Month: History doesn’t just happen. We have to make it together.
No state in America has ever elected a Native American woman as governor. Can you help our campaign make history by chipping in $5 so we can keep up the momentum to win this race?
Be fierce,
Deb